But Murphy summoning Overstreet back to the mothership demonstrates two things:

One, he's fickle as a showrunner.

Two, if the show wants to keep star powers like Overstreet in the fold, it's probably not out of the question that the aforementioned leads will get the boot after all.

And then what?

After all: though Monteith's character is important but completely replaceable, Michele and Colfer's supposed departures can't possibly lead to anything good for the show.

They're not just two of the shows biggest talents vocally -- they're two of the shows biggest draws in terms of fan favorites.

Colfer's gay teen Kurt Hummel earned the show a "Best Supporting Actor" Golden Globe, a Teen Choice Award, and two Emmy Nominations. He earned a spot on the 2011 Time 100 List.

In other words, he's directly responsible for much of the show's cultural relevance.

And what would the show be without Rachel Berry? Vocally, the only girl whose talent comes close to hers is Amber Riley. And her character is loosely considered the show's central one.

Our guess is that Murphy and the rest of the behind-the-scenes team realized that bringing back Overstreet (who's also recurring on "The Middle" this season) might buffer against ratings loss once the other leads are gone.

In any case, Sam is back -- now we just have to find out what he's doing at McKinley.